Roy’s Hawaii

The Service was absolutely ridiculously fantastic! The food also was none beyond compare. We certainly appreciate a great meal and great service and I will have to say it’s the best we’ve ever experienced in our 15 years of trying different amazing restaurants. It’s a must try!

Spectacular. That is all I can say. Our friends took us here and it certainly left a great first impression. The waiters are as professional as they are personable, making our customer experience exceptional. They were always checking on us and refilling water between each bite we took (okay maybe not that frequently but you get it).
And with food? There is no wrong choice when you order. Whether you go with ocean meat or land meat, you will not be disappointed; the only disappointment you’ll have is not having both at the same time (unless you’re that person who has a voracious appetite and fairly larger wallet). I had the prix fixe menu which features a variety of appetizers, one entrée (I had the Opah), and dessert (the chocolate soufflé is a must-​get).
In addition to all the awesome service and food you get, you also get a beautiful ocean view. So yeah, if you’re feeling classier, then this is the place to go.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE!
Stellar place to go to for a nice fancy dinner of Hawaiian inspired food. During the winter time you can view the sunsets over the bay from the 2^nd floor window. During the summer time the view is still there but the sun will set over to the mountain range.
After going to several other Roy’s across the nation I decided to check out the original and let me tell you that this place is worth every single penny. Food is outstanding, drinks were delicious, service was impeccable and dessert was always killer.
Upscale place so make sure you dress a nicer for dinner here but they wont shun you for wearing your slippers and aloha shirts.
Appetizers: Crispy Brussel sprouts & Frisee were amazing! Also tried the bone marrow which was good but a lot of work to get a mixed bite of all the ingredients.
Dinner: Classic Trio of 3 local fish preperations is almost a MUST for seafood lovers. Rack of Lamb also was delicious with a pistachio crust
Dessert: GET THE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE AND THANK ME LATER! Don’t even look at the other options unless you want 2 desserts. even then. think about getting 2 of these.
Drinks: Great mixed cocktails and they also have some house wines made specially for them. I enjoyed their Roys Pinot Noir.

~Just another penny in the five-​star reviews jar for Roy’s~
Two words: Misoyaki Butterfish.
I have been a LONG time patron of Roy’s, Kalanianaole being the flagship restaurant, and I’ve been to many of their locations across Hawaii & Northern /​Southern California (15+). My order of Misoyaki Butterfish is always exactly the same at every location I go to… and across all taste tests, this Roy’s takes the cake.
«Butterfish» is a misnomer for black cod, but it may as well be butter-​fish the way each layer just falls apart and melts in your mouth. The mirin/​sugar sauce is glazed over and gives it a wonderful honey color, and it’s served on a bed of black forbidden furikake rice (other locations they serve white rice) complete with a green and reddish aoili sauce. I haven’t the slightest idea how to make it but I seriously had to restrain myself from dipping things in my leftover sauce because it was that good. Again, I can’t recommend it enough; Roy’s is known for the Blackened Ahi, but I always find myself coming back to their butterfish (which, starts at a whopping $ 38 from the last time I checked).
Don’t forget to order a molten lava cake 20 mins before you decide to eat it. I usually end up ordering both the pineapple upside down cake and MLC because I can never make up my mind.
I have nothing but good things to say about Roy’s. This location in particular offers a stately view around sunset so it’s best to come early or make reservations. I tried the Newport Beach location 3 times, and I must say, it’s nothing near as good as this one to do it justice. Well done, this Roy’s is how you fine dine.

*update* 9 months later, and Zach the 2^nd floor bartender is still my go to! Since then, I have switched from an omnivorous diet to that of a seafood/​vegetable based (pescatarian) and let me say that Roy’s STILL takes care! The clams are my favorite!!! I loooove dipping my fresh-​out-​the-​oven bread into the creamy, buttery & savory sauce! The butterfish… to. die. for.
And I’ve found a new favorite cocktail! The guava lemonade is SO delicious that I drank it like juice! (Oops!) 10÷10… Again!
*original*Blown away by the excellent service and high spirits this experience has left me! The bartender, Zach (who can be found in the second level bar), was a pleasure to be served by the entire night. Comical, informative, skillful at his job and an overall sensational presence to be around, he is definitely someone I would request by name! Food was delicious, as it always is, and I had the best appetizers (clams are my favorite!)
The ribeye steak was succulent, juicy and portioned largely, so I had to take some home, which is always fine by me hehe. I’d come here every weekend, if I could. ¹⁰⁄₁₀!

It’s our last night in Hawaii. The ocean view was romantic. There was live music on the lanai which was so peaceful. My date had the lamb chops. They were quite good but he wish they had a lighter touch with the curry seasoning. I had the classic trio of fish. Apparently the butterfish is the infamous dish of Roys but I didn’t care for it. My favorite was the pesto whitefish. Our appetizers were the bone marrow. Amazing! Highly recommend. We also had the flying dragon roll as an appetizer as well and it was absolutely heavenly. The chocolate soufflé was perfect. The reason why they lost two stars is because I told the server secretly that it was my boyfriend’s birthday yesterday. They have already handed out 3 celebratory desserts in the lanai. However our server maybe forgot? I had to tell my boyfriend so now even if they bring out the dessert-​the surprise is ruined.
Update:
We paid. I was coming back from the bathroom because we were leaving-​the server was bringing out the dessert. He said –yeah sorry this is late coming out. We were two seconds from leaving:/We didn’t even want it anymore. He set it down. My boyfriend blew out the candle and we left.

we had a absolutely wonderful dining experience at Roy’s. my wife and I both agreed it’s been a long time since we went to a restaurant where everything lined up perfectly and the service was not only good but caring.
our waiter seemed pretty young but he made sure that my 3 year old daughter was just as comfortable dining at Roy’s just as we were.
immediately after we order, they brought out some veggie sticks and grapes, along with some cheese quesadillas to keep her occupied.
my wife and I had the spicy garlic ahi roll as an appetizer to share. I ate the salt & pepper mochiko crusted prawns and my wife had the misoyaki butterfish. both were truly delicious as well as the appetizer. for dessert we had the chocolate soufflé
my daughter had the teriyaki chicken off of the kids menu.
if you come to Hawaii you must go to Roy’s!

Apparently we have Roy’s in LA, so coming to Oahu, you would think we wouldn’t wanna eat at a place that we have in the mainland. However, 1) we were starving after hiking Koko Head and 2) we haven’t been to Roy’s at all; hence, we decided to come here, which is after all this is the ORIGINAL Roy’s. AND WE ARE GLAD WE DID.
For appetizer, we had the canoe for two and it was delicious! The shrimp tempura and sushi part of that was okay but not bad but everything else on the canoe was delicious! We also ordered the «Frying» Dragon roll and that was and still is the best sushi I have ever had! The mix of the sauces with the sushi is amazing. It was so good, I ordered 2 more plates as my entrée! And they were very filling. My boyfriend got the monchong (I hope I spelled it right) with potatoes and loved it. Another delicious entrée! Lastly, for dessert… We couldn’t make up our minds so we got TWO: the chocolate soufflé and pineapple upside down cake. I love chocolate so it was only right that we got the soufflé. They both served the desserts warm with ice cream on the side. Ultimately, the pineapple upside down cake was the winner!
All in all, we had a GREAT experience at this Roy’s. Not to mention the tiki torches and the sunset right in front of us.

Our order from the menu: Steamed Manila Clams, Hawaii Kai Crab Cakes, Hot Iron Seared Misoyaki Butterfish, Honey Mustard Grilled Beef Short Ribs, and Melting Dark Chocolate Soufflé.
All was delicious and perfect!

«Pardon my reach madam, I’m about to take away your fork for you.» our server said.
Like damn. This place deserves 5 starts, no doubt about it. I was looking up places that would accommodate my needs. I wanted to take my boyfriend to a really nice restaurant that not only looks nice, but has excellent service, food and one that celebrate’s special occasions. Since we were celebrating his 19^th birthday. This place was absolutely perfect. From when we came in to the ending.
So, I made a reservation for 8:30pm the day of and they were able to take me in. Then we drove out to Hawaii Kai from Aiea. Found parking right away. Before we entered, there were fire torches outside which I thought was so romantic! We checked in and then we had to wait about 10 minutes for them to prepare our table since we arrived earlier than our reservation.
Now let me tell you about the food. Man, it was excellent! We assumed we would get basic bread in the beginning, but we got soy beans! like wow, that was different. Then, our appetizers were the spicy ahi roll and the clams. Price range is a biggy — appetizers were around $ 14-​$ 25 and the entrees were $ 26-​$ 56. It’s pricey but the quality of the food is worth every penny! You won’t regret it because I surely didn’t and majority of these reviews would have to agree with me!
Lastly, the customer service here is mainly the reason why I rate this restaurant a 5! Our servers were consistently professional the whole time and they had great knowledge about their menu. I would definitely come back here in the future!

Watch this video ^ to take a better look at how the restaurant looks (:

Food and service are always 5 stars. Excellent sunset views around 6pm, even later during the summer months. Fiancé and I came here twice in the last month and both times experience was impeccable. snapper is fabulous but a little intimidating to tackle (it comes out as a whole fish!), Mahi Mahi and butterfish are probably the other two most popular seafood entrees.
Also vegetarians can request a separate vegetarian menu! so also a great place to accommodate veggie-​loving guests.

Roy’s Butterfish.
Enough said.
But ok… I’ll say a few more things. Chocolate Soufflé accompanied by a separate peanut butter gelato… oh wow. heavenly. (Ever notice how a diet makes you appreciate the simpler things in life??)
Went to Roy’s on my birthday and I said lets go to the original one… even though we live really close to the one by Ko’Olina. We got there early and they seated us much earlier than we had reservations for which was nice. Started with a couple of appetizers which were tasty and then of course we both had butterfish. I had already intended on having the chocolate soufflé so we did and added the peanut butter gelato. Chocolate and peanut butter the best combination!
Service was good except towards the end when we waited forever for the server to pick up the check and process our payment. In that case I feel like a manager should help the server out. He was swamped with a friggin new table of 10… help the guy out already!
Anyway, the layout reminded me of the one in Maui, but food was much better here.
Roy’s butterfish… its definitely a must have experience for anyone that likes or doesn’t like fish!

Since I’m on Unilocal,I’m gonna go ahead and write a quick review for Roy’s. I had dinner there on Tuesday (⁰³⁄₂₉) with my boyfriend and best friend – a local, avid and long-​time patron of Roy’s. We got the beef tobanyaki (seared beef) as an appetizer and it was delicious. My bestie got the Butterfish, old style, while my boyfriend got the Classic Trio and I got the Hawaii Kai Seafood Collection. The one thing I’d add to my dish would be just a little more acidity. Everything was delicious and the seafood was all very fresh, but the butterfish, old style, was by far the best tasting dish. (She knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it!)
Dessert was also delicious. We ordered the chocolate soufflé and the upside down pineapple cake – both were a perfect end to the meal. Service was great and it was an overall fun night. Would definitely recommend to anyone else visiting Honolulu!

Roy’s Hawaii Kai is my favorite restaurant on this island! When I made the reservation, they asked if we were celebrating anything. I said we were celebrating our anniversary. When they led us to our table there was a nice hand written note to wish us a happy anniversary. It was a really nice touch.
Each Roy’s restaurant has their own specialty items that only that location makes. At the Hawaii Kai one, the fried snapper is the menu item to get. You won’t be able to find it at the other Roy’s restaurants. My husband likes this fish the best. It’s crispy and comes with a Asian kind of sauce.
Unilocal also has a great free offer if you check into Roy’s. You’ll get a free chocolate soufflé. We usually get this but we were meeting a friend for dessert after so we skipped the free soufflé. Our waiter asked if we wanted to order any dessert and we said no that we were full. Then he came out with a Lilikoi panna cotta to help us celebrate our anniversary. It was so light and tasty. Yum!
Service and food was excellent that night. They went above and beyond expectations. And to top it off, after we paid our check, the waiter handed us an envelope. He said happy anniversary, this is a gift certificate to you. They gave us a gift certificate to come back! Woohoo! We didn’t check it until we got in the car and really we were just happy we received it. But they gave us a gift certificate for $ 25! I’m definitely going back to this Roy’s. Best restaurant ever!

— Great food
— Attentive and knowledgeable staff
— Nice ambience
— Fantastic ocean sunset views
My husband and I came here for our first date and it was so good, he brought me back again for our first anniversary. Our server, Landon, (along with the other wait staff) was very helpful and attentive! The food was also delicious! I had the brussel sprouts and frying fish sushi roll and my husband had the prix fixe with appetizer combo, Mac nut crusted whitefish, and the chocolate soufflé. AMAZING. The whole staff helped make our night special — a handwritten card congratulating us on the table, a complimentary anniversary dessert, and a gift certificate. I think this is going to become our anniversary tradition!

Of all the Roy’s on Oahu, this one is our favorite! if you are lucky enough to time your meal for sunset, get a table by the window or sit in their lounge, it is beautiful. We often take our visiting guests to his restaurant as it is a truly unique American/​Asian fusion experience and Roy’s does it better than anyone. I also like how they frequently rotate and change parts of their menu so it keeps it interesting for regulars such as us. Service is courteous. I have been here about 30 times and never found it to be «slow». Not sure why you would come to a place like this if you are in a rush. This place is about the experience, like many other fine dining restaurants. I am personally not a huge sweets person, but I agree their chocolate soufflé and pineapple upside down cakes are excellent! Must try!

Loved their pre-​fixed menu for Valentine’s Day! Unfortunately they had ran out of some of their entrée items so we couldn’t try the entrees we originally wanted.
Valentine’s Day just so happens to be my birthday and my boyfriend tried to arrange a surprise birthday dessert for me at the end of the meal but the server told him that the kitchen was too busy to make it. Oh well! Instead, I was surprised with a glass of champagne and was told by the server that they normally do birthday desserts but because it was Valentine’s Day, they could only offer me a glass of champagne. Happy birthday to me! *clink*

1. VERDICT/​VALUE
Good food, great lanei (watch sunsets by coming around 5:00 pm — 5:30 pm) and great service!
2. FOOD
It’s always a good time here in the original Roy’s location!
It all starts with the addictive edamame — it’s amazing how great they taste here with sesame oil and salt!
Tonight’s dinner included Mac-​Nut Crusted Mahi-​Mahi ($ 41): tender slab of fish served with asparagus and cold wakame yakisoba noodles. Um, yum, anyone?
The Miso Butterfish ($ 46): always a favorite, and it’s changed preparation recently; it’s now served with crispy taro chips, bok choy, and cold wakame yakisoba noodles. Yes it’s pricey, but it’s worth it, especially if you don’t know what else to choose off them menu!
For dessert, we’ve had the upside-​down pineapple cake, but the chocolate soufflé cake won the day again today with warm oozing chocolate mixed with vanilla ice cream… hungry again! Order ahead of time (it takes 20 – 25 mins to prepare).
3. SERVICE
Well trained, the wait staff are always good inside and outside of the restaurant!
4. ATMOSPHERE
With two levels to choose from and a lanei to enjoy… call ahead for reservations or arrive early for the non-​reservable lanei to watch sunset. Plenty of parking in the shopping center make Roy’s an easy choice for good food and good service!

Been coming here for years, and Roy’s has always been a consistent 5-​star experience. The service and atmosphere here is exceptional, with the restaurant on the second floor with a beautiful view over the ocean (make reservations around 6pm for sunset view!)
I also have enjoyed many of their menu items, which have also changed recently. Appetizers I usually get are the Flying Dragon Roll (still on menu) and Escargot (which now is curry flavored– different but still great). Very solid entrees that I’ve always enjoyed include their Misoyaki Butterfish (a MUST GET, especially if you love seafood– flaky and very flavorful). I also find their short ribs to be a solid hit each time– again a very good flavor with a large portion. Recently they added lamb chops to their standard menu which I also really enjoyed this past visit– before it was only on special occasions.
Lastly, dessert here is also special. Highly recommend getting their Chocolate Soufflé cake with molten chocolate interior. This cake goes beyond those standard chocolate lava cakes and is very good with its flaky outsides and not overly sweet molten center. Make sure to check-​in on Unilocal for a free one! I also like their Pineapple upside down cake and Pumpkin Bread pudding as well if you have more space.
Overall one of my family’s go-​to places for special events, celebrations, or just when we want to treat ourselves. I like their Waikiki location too, but the service here is much better (the original location), which keeps me coming back here.

Our first experience with Roy’s was in Pebble Beach, California where they blew our socks off. Our second was not as good, in Waikiki, but I was hooked on their spiked pineapple martini and molten lava cake. We ended up giving the original Roy’s a try on our anniversary, and we were pleasantly surprised again by the change.
I love that my husband and I celebrate everything, and the night we went to the original Roy’s was no different. We were celebrating our anniversary and our move to Hawaii, and were pleased to give Roy’s another shot. When my husband made the reservation, they asked if we were celebrating anything and what our names were. When we got to our table, they had a hand-​written card congratulating us, which I thought was an extremely nice and thoughtful touch. After that, literally every wait staff person congratulated us, and as the evening went on, I felt more and more pleased with their personalized attention to detail.
We started with the signature spiked pineapple martini for me and a straight up beefeater martini with a twist for him, and ordered the Tempura Mushroom starter which was delicious, light and savory, served with a siracha dip. I wanted the meatloaf but the server informed me that it did in fact have bell peppers in it, so I chose the Kauai salt and pepper Prawns with pickled jalapenos ($ 40), and darling man ordered the Blackened Ahi ($ 42). The ahi was perfectly prepared and sauced well, my dish however neglected to mention that it was served whole, head and tail on with complete shell, and was both difficult and messy to eat.
Unilocal included the free with check in Chocolate Soufflé Cake, which I loved and continue to love, and they also brought us a celebratory anniversary dessert of Coconut Panna Cotta with pineapple sauce. We had a coffee with dessert and marveled at the difference a chain of restaurants can have, from the famed/​infamous «Roy’s Rush» of Waikiki, to the intimate, beautiful, and completely personalized experience we had at Hawaii Kai. This dinner renewed my faith in Roys, but in the future, I’ll just go here, and leave the rush to the tourists.

Wenn man am Abend bei 25 Grad+ draußen sitzt und aufs Meer guckt und es dazu noch wirklich hervorragendes Essen gibt, ist alles perfekt :)
Von Vorspeise bis Nachspeise, war alles extrem lecker. Ich habe leider immernoch nicht rausgefunden um welchen Fisch es sich «White Fish» mit Macadamiakruste gehandelt hat!
Absolut zu empfehlen!

L’endroit idéal pour les grandes occasions ou les personnes qui en ont les moyens.
Tout est beau, du paysage en passant par les plats dit de «luxe» (beaucoup dans le prix et peu dans l’assiette) et franchement si vous aimez bien manger, c’est l’endroit où aller.
Les serveurs sont toujours de bon conseils et remplirons votre verre à chaque gorgée.
Seul tout petit défaut, le temps pour avoir le plats principal qu’il comblerons avec brio en vous apportant des «pupus» très élaborés ce qui vous donnerons le temps de satisfaire votre ventre en attendant ce qu’on peut appeler un chef d’œuvre dont le prix va rarement en dessous des 40 $.